Even though the gang here at Cigar Habitat has been smoking cigars for about a gazillion years combined, we're embarrassed to admit we've consciously ignored Cuba's Quai D'Orsay brand. The story goes that it's strictly a beginner's cigar, blended specifically for the French market with distribution limited largely there. For years, we've held our noses in the air and declared ourselves too good for a lowly beginner's cigar.

Now, we should know better than to trust Habanos' descriptions of their own cigars. For instance, remember when the Montecristo Open line was first introduced? The premise was, it was supposed to be a lighter Monte to help ease younger smokers into the rest of the line. Of course, turns out the Open vitolas were among the fullest-bodied Montes yet produced.

And so it is with the Quai D'Orsay Imperiales. This Chruchill-size cigar is darker, oilier and smells stronger than the Romeo y Julieta Churchill, which it is supposedly milder than. Historically, it' has also been slightly pricey, another reason why we stayed away all these years. After all, who wants to pay dearly for a beginner's cigar? Well, the fact is, this is anything but.

Smoke one at your local cigar lounge and it's a conversation starter for sure. The band and the name are completely foreign to all but a few smokers with near-encyclopedic knowledge of cigars. No surprise, since in addition to the limited distribution, Quai D'Orsay has never been a big line. Its heyday was back in the 1970s, and today it's down to this churchill and a corona. And the line is still shrinking; more on that later.

So what are they like? The short version is, like a slightly amped-up RyJ Churchill. A real smoothie. Lots of classic Cuban sweet tobacco notes bloom in complexity the more the cigar progresses. First, a little cedar peeks in. Then some molasses and nuts. A floral character enters the picture. Later, the sweetness and nuttiness becomes increasingly specific. Factor in that these are relatively young samples from 2012 production, and we think they have lots more to offer in the years to come.

There's only one problem. It's now discontinued. Yes, the Cubans can be cruel bastards sometimes and here is another one of our favorites that is gone, at least for the meantime. We only have ourselves to blame for not trying these many years ago.

Since production halted last year, what's out there in the marketplace is all that's left. If this gorgeous and complex cigar appeals to you, better start making like President Kennedy before he signed the embargo. Go forth, friends, and horde!

THE DETAILS

THE HIGHLIGHTS

THE VERDICT

7x47CubaW: CubaB: CubaF: Cuba€6

Gorgeous, oily, well made. Despite its reputation as a "beginner's" cigar, our samples smoked marvelously with admirable complexity. Lovely, and easy to enjoy any time of day.